Fans of The Walking Dead comics knows how great of a character Negan is. While fans of the TV show might see The Governor as the most iconic villain faced so far, Negan takes his character to amazing levels and makes The Governor look second-rate in comparison. Norman Reedus was talking to Entertainment Weekly about Negan and had an interesting comparison. Reedus, who plays Daryl on The Walking Dead, said that Negan reminds him of The Joker from Batman comics.

“[Jeffrey Dean Morgan is] great. He’s super charismatic, and he’s enjoying being this jerk way too much, as a matter of fact. You know, it’s a real blessing we have him on the show. He’s brought so much new energy to this show, and that character is like the Joker.”

When The Walking Dead cast Jeffrey Dean Morgan to play Negan, fans of the comics knew it was a home run. JDM has geek credit already, with roles on Supernatural as the Winchester brothers dad and in the comic book adaptation Watchmen, where he played the antihero The Comedian. Playing Negan is just a step higher than either of those roles.

Fans of The Walking Dead television show who never read the comics only know that Negan is the man who will kill a beloved character on The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere. The rumors of who he kills should ensure that many of those fans will hate him instantly.

It was the same thing that happened in the comic books. The issue where Negan made this particular kill was #100 and was meant to be a huge turning point in the series and something that completely changed Rick Grimes from that point on. In the recent trailers, The Inquisitr previously reported that Negan was shown dragging Rick into a trailer with Rick threatening to kill him.

It is a complicated situation, as fans of the comics know. Yes, Negan is about to kill someone that everyone loves on the show, but Rick and company killed dozens of Negan’s men without every meeting the leader of the Saviors. Negan is evil, but he is no more guilty than Rick Grimes of the crime of murder.

There has also been a lot of rumors that The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere will redefine guilt. As The Inquisitr previously reported, producer Greg Nicotero said that this is a really intense season that won’t let up on the fans of the show. Norman Reedus hinted at what fans can expect when he was talking about Jeffery Dean Morgan after his performance as Negan on that premiere.

“I remember after the first day, Jeffrey was like, ‘Holy s—! Thank you guys for doing this. I’ve never been on a set like this where every actor, even when they’re off camera, gives full tears and full snot.’ So he gives that to us, and we give it back to him. It’s a good give and take on this show, and it’s always been like that on this show, to be honest.”

When The Walking Dead returns this Sunday, things will change forever on the show. One or two of the main characters from the show will die, and Negan will suddenly become the most dangerous man to exist in this world. However, don’t expect Negan to be a typical villain. As fans of the comics know, there is much more to Negan than meets the eye.